Meet Charter Member Dog Tired in South Carolina

As part of our 3rd Anniversary of The Dog Gurus membership, we wanted to highlight a couple of our charter members. Charter members are facilities who joined The Dog Gurus as soon as we launched in 2013 and have been with us ever since. We are thankful for their support and hope they have loved being a member as much as we love having them! For this post, we interviewed Gray Moore from Dog Tired Pet Services in Charleston, SC.

TDG:  Provide a brief overview of your company (when you started it, services offered, what is your facility like) 

Gray: While running two other types of businesses, the dog boarding thing, kept pulling at me. I started innocently enough; baby-sitting friend’s dogs, then the numbers grew as word spread that I was a pet-sitter and running dog daycare out of my home. Finally, it was decision time, and I decided to throw myself into the doggy-day care business full-time during a big recession, which was  a huge risk. I quit real estate vacation rentals and started marketing  services from my home on James Island. From pet-walking to running errands to having overnight doggy guests, I built a loyal following. After two years, I started looking for a location where I could expand my business and accommodate more dogs. Finally, an opportunity presented itself as a property became available on Johns Island that could accommodate Dog Tired’s dreams. With the support of family, friends and clients, I took the big leap, made a commitment on the property and with an abundance of faith, jumped into the new business. Well, and continued to jump…through hoops and more. There are many ways the City of Charleston was helpful…and many ways as well that I thought they were going to crush me. After wrangling the City, I finally got to where I wanted to be from early on; specialized animal care. I opened the doors in early 2011, and have a steady group of regulars, with clientele growing at a good pace. I am proud to offer Executive Boarding Suites, outdoor play areas, grooming services and in-home pet sitting services. I plan to keep this facility limited in size so every dog continues to receive individual attention and I can personally assure our guests are “The Happiest Pets In Charleston!”

TDG: Why did you get started in the pet industry?

Gray: I had an abiding love for animals since I was a child. Raised on a large farm in Greenwood, SC, there were few kids my age to play with. My much older siblings had small interest in a much younger kid sister, but there were lots of playmates, nonetheless. Between the horses, the dogs, the cats, the goats, I was with playmates and menagerie at all times. All my early life decisions led me on a path to working with animals. In college, I volunteered for an injured wildlife company and the zoo working with the seals and sea lions.  I majored in Biology in the hopes of attending veterinary school, but then decided more school  was not for me.  Instead, I took business courses and in fact wrote a business plan for a luxury boarding facility in 2002. I had envisioned Dog Tired from a young age. While I held other management positions for a number of years in vacation rentals, I believe every job I have had, led to this.

TDG: What do you find most rewarding about working in the pet industry?

Gray: We have prevented many dogs from being rehomed by their owners. We help them every day we can with knowledge to create the best relationship we can between owner and dog. Working with our clients as family, has made all of the difference.  Quality and SAFE pet care is our number one goal. We love watching the dogs mature and succeed with our specialized program. 

TDG: What does being a member of The Dog Gurus mean to you?

Gray: The information my team and I have gained from the Dog Gurus is unprecedented. Without the knowledge from their programs and coaching, we would not be where we are today. They take the guessing out of the program, which offers a safe environment for the dogs in our care. Knowing that all of our staff are trained the same through the Knowing Dogs Program, is priceless. 

TDG: What is the thing you are most proud of for your company?

Gray: I never dreamed that I would have a business caring for 65 dogs on daily basis, providing jobs to our community, and a staff of 20 employees for all divisions. Being educated and committed to our team, our pets and pet parents in our care; always evolving is something to be proud of. 

TDG: What does your staff do together for fun?  

Gray: We have a lunch meeting every month where I treat the staff to a restaurant lunch. We physically close the building and go somewhere for our monthly meeting. It helps to improve employee morale so they get to know each other outside of the office. They also privately vote for the employee of the month on paper, as well as the dog of the month. They have to write why the employee deserves to win. The winner receives a $20 gift card. We also have quarterly get togethers, where we go to the movies, happy hour, bowling, or gatherings at my house. At these outings  we have fun, and don’t talk about work. We also surprise them with pizza, ice cream, or biscuits.  

TDG: Do you have a client or dog who changed the way you run your business?

Gray: Before we had Knowing Dogs, my staff had left ONLY 3 dogs alone in a yard that resulted in an injury to one of the dogs during the final potty of the night. It was horrible. I learned that the number of dogs doesn’t matter, even if for 5 minutes, do not leave them alone as the pack order changes. Now we 100% supervise at all times, all staff are put through Knowing Dogs, and all dogs are assessed. Safety and excellent care of our animals are our number one priority, so this NEVER happens again.  We now know that a good center should have minimal altercations with proper staff training. Since we have had Knowing Dogs, the play groups are happy and safe. Knowing and understanding dog body language changed our company. 

TDG: If you could meet anyone in the industry, who would it be and why?

Gray: I love meeting people who are “doing it the right way” that have been in business a long time. This means their staff are happy, their dogs are happy, their clients are happy, and the owner is happy. Learning from each other of what works and what doesn’t work is also an excellent way of learning. I l love meeting all animal crazed people. 

TDG: Anything else you would like to add?  

Gray: I have recently discovered that sometimes change comes within the company although you weren’t expecting this in the original plan. We must always evolve to what works best for us, whether it was planned or not. Keep your mind and heart open to new things.  If something is not working, it’s ok to change and evolve.